Will France ever have a female president?

France has never had a female president. Will she be able to defeat one of the women candidates in the April presidential elections this year? How will #Metoo affect the elections?

Recently, Valerie Pecres, the Republican candidate for the presidency of the French Republic, found herself in a difficult position when she was invited to speak on the popular show of 72-year-old Jean-Jacques Bourdain. Bourdain is accused of sexually abusing his ex-colleague. Pekres’s dilemma was obvious to French society, which in recent years has often been confronted with cases of sexual violence against women.

Pekres agreed to be present on the condition that she speak directly on the issue, as she did. “This is the first pre-election period after the #Metoo movement in France and the Pecres-Bourdain televised controversy was a turning point. It has shown that there is now pressure to take a stand on sexual harassment cases,” said Alice Coffen and activist, member of the “Me Too Politique” movement. She considers “Pekres”‘s attitude “brave”. “These issues can now change the game of votes,” Coffen said.

A pivotal moment in French political history

It is a fact, however, that for the first time so many women are running for the presidency in France. In addition to Valerie Pecres, the Socialist Party is running for mayor of Paris Anne Indalgoalla and Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Coalition. Former Justice Minister Christian Tombira also begins her own bid for the presidency by representing the united Left.

Experts estimate that the strong female presence in this year’s election campaign is indicative of the steps that have been taken in recent decades to strengthen the role of women in politics. The law, for example, imposes fines on parties that do not secure 49% of the seats for women in parliament. With 38%, the representation of women in the French National Assembly is the highest percentage of all time. Half of the ministerial posts are also held by women.

“The level of progress that has been made is almost revolutionary,” said Catherine Assen of Dauphin University in Paris. “There is now a regularity in the representation of women at the highest level of politics. But also at the local level 20% of mayors in big cities like Paris, Lille or Marseille elect women mayors.”

“They are visible, but they are not heard”

Obstacles remain, however, with everyday discrimination still a part of reality. “The level of sexism in French politics is still high. All the women politicians I talk to report it,” Coffen said. Florence Sandy, author of “Break the Glass Roof” (Brisez le Plafond de Verre), researched the cases of women in politics. “Many women say ‘we are visible but we are not listened to.’ Many consider women to be incompetent politicians. This is because in France we associate power with masculinity.”

Despite progress, many political positions remain male-dominated. While Emmanuel Macron’s cabinet has a balanced representation of men and women, critical ministries, such as the Ministry of Defense, are owned by men. The same goes for the presidency of parliament and most parties. France had only one female prime minister: Edith Cresson in 1991.

Recent polls suggest either the far-right Le Pen or the conservative Pekres could advance to the second round of the presidential election against Emmanuel Macron. “But Marine Le Pen would certainly not be promoting women’s rights if she were elected. Her political positions are essentially a concern for those involved,” said Amadin Clavo of the Jean Zores Foundation for Gender Equality. Not even Pekres, despite the recent positive impression she caused, inspires the feminist movement. “There is a fundamental difference between having more women candidates in the elections and actually promoting a more feminist program,” Klavo notes.

Sonia Falnikar

Edited by: Dimitra Kyranoudi

Source: Deutsche Welle